Whoa - it's August?!

My bad. I haven't posted in like... forever. The good news? SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED!

Here's a few things to keep you on board (in no particular order) with the fast and furious impact Trot with Spot is making on the world.

First, I've completed 7 (seven, yes!, seven!) #DoggieDozenRaces of the promised 12, and it has been a blast. I've conquered some pretty serious terrain, and at times it has felt like perhaps quitting is an option. Fortunately, I'm (doggedly) determined to make an impact on the world for the benefit of dogs, so I kept going. The last race I did was at Stinson Beach and super fun (image left). I placed 5th out of 20 in my age group, so it was a great result. Check out the #DoggieDozenRaces page for ratings and links to all of the races to date so that you can do them yourself next year

Second, I work at the Humane Society Silicon Valley now, and got to work at their Maddie's Pet Adoption Days event at the end of May, where we helped find homes for 240 animals (for FREE) in 2 days, and every single dog at HSSV was adopted! In the picture right I am with one of my favorite dogs who was adopted. I am petting her new sister, and they have matching white paws. Truly inspirational weekend! I was the lead on the marketing team for this effort, so it was an all-around rewarding event. Can't wait for next year!

Third, this update is what I lovingly like to call my Foster Failure. Prior to the Maddie's Day event, I took on a foster puppy with a broken leg. She is truly one of the cutest and sweetest creatures I have ever met, even if she drove me a little crazy because she was confined to a crate for most of the day while she healed. Well, you know what happened? My mom fell in love with her too and ADOPTED her. I'm talking about someone who grew up not liking dogs finding love in a 9 lb ball of energy and cuteness. Her name is Paisley, and she is great (and will definitely be coming on some runs in the future)!

Hi! I am super cute and love to lay in the sun :)

 There's lots happening in the future, so stay tuned for more updates. Happy Friday!

Hey it's a Hyena - NOPE! That's an African Wild Dog.

I'm sure you've thought that many times, as you mowed your lawn, you go to the grocery store, head to yoga... 

Wait, no hyenas at the mall? 

Oh ok, well then let me help you understand some differences between hyenas and African wild dogs. You'd be surprised how little they have in common, and how often people mistake them for each other. Here's three ways to tell them apart.

One: The African wild dog is in the canid family, most closely related to animals like wolves and coyotes. That's right, the name 'painted wolf' that African wild dogs have is actually pretty accurate! Spotted hyenas, on the other hand, are actually more closely related to civets and mongoose.

African Wild Dogs at Naankuse, relaxed after a day of sun. 

A red wolf  taking a stroll. (Wikipedia)

Two: Spotted hyenas are typically significantly larger than African wild dogs. Spotted hyenas range in weight from 98lbs - 135lbs, standing at 28-36 inches at the shoulder. To give you context, that's larger than a big Rottweiler. African wild dogs on the other hand are typically 40lbs-80lbs and 30 inches at the shoulder. That's roughly the size of a Labrador retriever. Bit of a difference!

I would not want to be between these two! Hyena, left, AWD, right. (carnivoraforum.com)

Three: You can see it pretty well in the above picture - but spotted hyenas, as their name suggests, have spots! Imagine that. The African wild dogs on the other hand, have a mix of white, black and brown painted splotches. They also typically have a white tipped tail.

Four: Spotted (not brown) hyenas are significantly more aggressive than African wild dogs. Hyenas have been known to take on animals like lions, yikes! African wild dogs are very shy. Often, people mistake their great hunting skills for being aggressive. Not the case, my friends.

What do they have in common? Well, they both have extremely strong jaw muscles and teeth. They can both eat bone like it's a saltine cracker. Respect, y'all. These guys are pretty great!

Not that I've dropped some knowledge on you, can you tell what kind of animal this is in the Humane Society Silicon Valley April Fool's post? 

Connecting the dots - kids to dogs to compassion

It's great to see things like this: http://hopeshared.com/22-photos-that-prove-babies-need-pets-number-17-especially/ - kids finding love and care within another species, paramount to helping create humans who have the potential to be better citizens in the community. For me, it boils down to compassion and empathy, and the ability to put yourself behind someone else or something else, even if only for a moment. Of course, of course, there's no one thing that makes people wonderful, feeling, and generous, but it's certainly a great help to be responsible for something else as you grow up. Not everyone has the funds to support pets at home, but perhaps they have the time to volunteer.

Baby with puppies - favorite of the shared link - credit to Reddit

Milo laying on my leg, looking pretty adorable (he probably wants food in my hand)

This week I had the privilege to speak to children who had been through the humane education program at Humane Society Silicon Valley, and it was clear that they had not only discovered some wonderful things about the animals they learned to care for, but also found confidence, compassion and love within themselves that they didn't know was there. It was very moving to ask things like "What was your favorite part about the program?" and hear things like "That we can care for the animals and give them love while they wait for a forever-home." That's coming from a 13 year old people. That's pretty great.

I had a similar experience working at the Naankuse sanctuary and seeing people from all walks of life come to the sanctuary with a simple desire to help. Typically, I saw this most with the baboons. If you know me in person, you've likely heard me talk about these quirky creatures and the love I found in them. Raising an orphaned animal that is completely dependent on you, and entirely unaware of or caring for social norms, is truly inspirational. The most memorable transformation I saw was of a young man who came and was too terrified to make eye contact with anyone. Cut to 2 weeks later and the baboons have taken a liking to him. He's also fallen in love with them, taking great care to ensure their well-being, and increasing his confidence. Along the way, his confidence boomed as a person and he made a lot of lifelong friends. Things like that keep you going.

"Yes, I'm comfy, just like this." (Taken at Naankuse)

Take the time to volunteer and get outside of our comfort zone, you won't regret it.
Here's the links to: Naankuse volunteer program and the Humane Society Silicon Valley volunteer program.

Badger Cove race is a 4.5/5 for the #DoggieDozenRaces!

I can't say enough how much fun I have at Blazen Racing events. They aren't expensive, fantastically organized, and run by really friendly people. Additionally, they are run at parks where they encourage you to give back. It's the best of both worlds for me - an opportunity to find new places to go run, and a race that gives back in more ways than one. For this one, I believe they were collecting clothes for underprivileged kids.

The #doggiedozenraces are a way for a runner like me to spread awareness and raise funds for dogs. I hope to raise $1,200 this year ($100 per race).

For this race, the Badger Cove race, I had an absolutely fantastic time and rated it a 4.5/5. Highly recommended for anyone interested!

At the finish line! Look how beautiful it all is!

I'm in love with the medals, t-shirts and bib numbers for the race. They are so fun!

 This race is in the hills of Livermore at Del Valle Park, starting along the lake there. Pretty quickly you hit some pretty powerful hills and you better make sure you've done some training or you'll probably lack in the enjoyment department. The views were stunning and the downhills were really fun. Per usual, the water stations were just what I needed and I blazed into the finish line with a finish of 8 out of 41 in my age group. I was stoked! Snacks galore after the race, and free pictures within 48 hours of the race.

St. Patty's day socks, of course!

Action shot from one of the volunteer photographers - thank you!

We're now proud supporters of HSSV - Humane Society Silicon Valley

Have you heard of HSSV? If not, you should take note. It's really an amazing place to adopt from, go to summer camp at, or volunteer at. I would know, since I work there as of February this year. Not only have I been impressed by their best in class care of animals, big and small, but kindness and compassion oozes out of this place. If you're looking for an amazeballs blog to follow, check out their blog. Finn, the blogger, is an amazing and hysterical writer, and she helps animals find homes through humor and endearing descriptions.

HSSV is a state of the art building!

The overwhelming dedication and hard work that goes into all of the effective community services they provide convinced me to add them to our Who We Support page. Trot with Spot is thrilled to be a part of their legacy, in any small way we can be, and it's a privilege to work there as my full-time job. I've already seen a lot of needy dogs (and cats, rabbits, etc.) get the special treatment they need, as well as find #pawesome forever homes.

These two cuties were fostered in the office during the day.

I also get to take my dog, Milo, to work so that he gets out of the house and explores somewhere new about once per week. Why would he like it there? Well, besides the fact that everyone gives him cuddles when he's there, he also get lots of delicious treats. Hopefully he'll pass the behavior test for the VIP dog park, and he can socialize with other dogs. Really fantastic stuff.

Milo is happily laying in our cubicle with his pet snake.

We're ready for work. Milo understands the importance of a selfie.

I was pleased to find that Milo isn't the only dog who enjoys farting.

Badger Cover 10K - the 3rd #DoggieDozenRace

We've found our 3rd #DoggieDozenRace and signed up today! It's going to be at the Del Valle Livermore regional park, and hopefully the weather will be nice for a fun race. It's St. Patrick's day weekend, so we'll need to find something green to wear :)

Hope you can sign up and join!

Additionally, it gives you the option to donate to the regional park, which we took full advantage of. Nothing like giving back to a place that offers people a chance to get outside, be fit, and soak up some sun.

So far, we've been really impressed with Brazen Races so we're looking forward to doing another one of their races.

http://www.brazenracing.com/badgercove.html - here's the link!

African Wild Dogs: Help the fundraiser!

It has been a fun week so far and even better because we've launched a one week fundraiser for the African Wild Dogs at Naankuse, as part of a collaboration between a photo from their photographer (Jack Somerville) and one of our artists (Guayo Llach). Until March 4th, all the money raised from this design go straight back to their African Wild Dog project. These AWDs are truly spectacular and worth every penny that gets sent to them for conservation. Get your own stuff today! Our favorite is how the flipflops turned out :) Go to http://trotwithspot.spreadshirt.com/ to get this design.